Under the Air (P&CP) Act, 1981, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) is entrusted with:

Question

Under the Air (P&CP) Act, 1981, the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) is entrusted with:

1. A. Regulating and monitoring air pollution in the State and granting consent to operate (Correct answer)
2. B. Conducting only indoor-air-quality audits
3. C. Issuing EIA clearance for Category A projects
4. D. Regulating only vehicular emissions in metros

Correct Answer

Option A — Regulating and monitoring air pollution in the State and granting consent to operate

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Regulating and monitoring air pollution in the State and granting consent to operate.

Key Points

• Under the Air Act, 1981, the State Pollution Control Board carries the operational responsibility within its State: it inspects industrial plants, monitors ambient air quality, lays down or enforces emission standards, and grants or refuses consent to establish and operate.
• The distractors each shrink or misplace that role — restricting it to indoor-air audits, or to vehicular emissions in metros, or assigning it the EIA clearance function that belongs to MoEFCC and SEIAA.

Additional Information

• The consent mechanism is the SPCB's principal instrument. No industry in an air pollution control area may operate without consent, and consent carries conditions on emissions, stack height and monitoring that are enforceable in themselves.
• The Board can order closure of a defaulting plant or stoppage of electricity or water supply to it, a power that mirrors Section 5 of the EPA 1986.
• Ambient standards are set nationally by the CPCB as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), last revised in 2009, covering twelve pollutants.
• Vehicular emissions are regulated separately through the Motor Vehicles Act and Bharat Stage norms, which is why confining the SPCB to that function is wrong.